


A Favour

by RinHaruismyOTP



Category: Free!
Genre: Butlers, M/M, Maid Café from Hell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-04 06:33:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5324081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinHaruismyOTP/pseuds/RinHaruismyOTP
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin needs a favour from Haru, and he's very determined that it should be from Haru and no other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is going to be my first multi-chaptered fic, not really sure how it's going to go but let's see!! Rating T as might/might not go up later ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Put no. chapters at 3 but tbh I have no idea. It won't be a long fic though.

Haru and Makoto were walking in silence. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence, quite on the contrary, this was how they usually walked together. There wasn’t really much need for speech between the two, having been friends since such a young age they knew each other like the back of their hand and the silences weren’t at all awkward. Which was all well and good, but Makoto could tell Haru was distracted by something, and couldn’t help but be concerned at the frown covering his best friend’s face.

“Haru?” he asked quietly, breaking the silence. Haru glanced up at him, eyebrows lifted in response but saying nothing in his typical fashion, and Makoto sighed. “It’s something to do with Rin, isn’t it?” he deduced, noticing the stress lines on Haru’s forehead.

“It’s nothing,” said Haru, and although Makoto didn’t believe that, he didn’t mention it, instead lapsing back into silence for the remainder of the walk home.

 

xx-X-xx

 

Haru couldn’t sleep. It was too hot, there was too much light coming in through the gap in the curtains which he _just couldn’t get rid of_ , and his brain was in overdrive. So he did what any self-respecting practically half-fish teenager would do and ran himself a cold bath, lowering himself in and feeling far more at ease in the darkness of the room and the cool water brushed over his skin and calming his mind as he focused on the feel of it and pictured himself racing through the swimming pool, feeling that extraordinary presence beside him, seeing the flash of red hair out the corner of his eye as he comes up to take a breath…

 _Rin_ …

When he woke up a few hours later, all he could remember of his dream were those red eyes and sharp teeth.

 

xx-X-xx

 

“Haru! Haru, can I speak to you?” Haru turned away from Nagisa, who was pouting with his arms folded at having been interrupted, and found himself face to face with Rin. He shuddered involuntarily when Rin’s hand came down on his shoulder and couldn’t help but wonder why. He looked back at Nagisa as if to ask permission, and took it as a ‘do whatever the hell you want’ when Nagisa harrumphed and waved his hand, turning to walk over to Rei and Makoto, who’d just come out of the school gates.

“So?” Haru asked bluntly, and Rin just rolled his eyes at the behaviour.

“I need a favour,” he said, and Haru sighed quietly, already foreseeing an unnecessary use of his energy coming up.

“What is it?”

“You know the yearly Samezuka Academy Culture Festival? And the maid café the swim team does?” he started, and Haru immediately gulped remembering Rin’s maid costume from the year before and the blush that had stained his cheeks upon realising Haru and the others had all seen it, and was confused at the sudden dryness in his mouth.

“The Maid Café from Hell, sure,” he said, avoiding Rin’s gaze.

“That’s the one.” Haru could hear the grin in Rin’s voice. It was definitely a change from how embarrassed Rin had been about the event last year, hearing him talk about it so confidently. He was surprised by how much he liked the change. “Well, anyway, it’s this Saturday, and as captain of the team, I’m in charge of it this year, but one of the members has broken his leg and can’t make it.”

Haru frowned. “Can he still swim?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

Rin shrugged. “Not at the moment, obviously, and they’re not sure yet if he’ll be able to in the future. Luckily he isn’t too serious about his swimming, it’s more of a hobby.” There was a brief silence.

“And the favour?” Haru prompted, and Rin shook himself out of his reverie.

“Right. So, could you take his place as one of the butlers in the café?” Rin asked, and Haru frowned.

“Wouldn’t someone from Samezuka be better?”

Rin sighed. “Everyone else from Samezuka’s already doing something for their club.”

“Everyone?” Haru asked with eyebrows raised.

“What can I say? Samezuka’s very big on clubs.” Rin replied, crossing his arms.

“If everyone’s doing something as part of a club, who’s actually attending the festival?” Haru wanted to know.

Rin waved his hand. “Family, friends, and everyone gets a break at some point where they can do their own thing. Anyway, will you do it?”

“No.”

Rin stared at him as he started to walk away. “Why not?”

“Too much effort.”

“Oh come on Haru!”

“Ask Makoto or someone. I’m sure Nagisa would be up for it.”

“No! It’s got to be you!”

Haru stopped. _Why was his goddamn heart suddenly beating ten times faster?_

“Why’s that?” he asked, hesitant, and glanced back over his shoulder and feeling his heart skip a beat at the blush covering Rin’s cheeks, ears and neck. Rin’s hands were behind his neck, scratching it in a way Haru knew to be his nervous gesture, and he was staring off to his right.

“Er, y’know, Shibata’s about the same size as you, the costume would fit you better than the others. That’s all it is, y’know? Nothing else, you would just fit it better-”

“Fine.” Haru cut off his babbling, feeling remarkably happy but not showing it.

“What?” Rin met Haru’s eyes again, and for a moment Haru couldn’t breathe. It was then that it hit him.

“Fine. I’ll do it,” he said, feeling his pulse quicken as his mind raced. “Text me the details, I need to go.” Without waiting for a reply he turned away and sped away, butterflies dancing in his stomach as he left. When he was a suitable distance away, satisfied Rin wasn’t anywhere in sight, he sat down on the ground beside a tree and rested his head back against the bark.

There was no way. There was just no way. These… these _feelings_.

When the hell had he started liking Rin as more than a friend?


	2. Chapter 2

 

When Haru arrived at Samezuka that Saturday the same feeling he always felt approaching the gate rose up in him: a strong sense of inferiority standing beside the huge academy. It was a feeling he usually rid himself of immediately by diving into the pool and regaining superiority with his superior skills, but today that was something he could not do (Makoto had expressly told him so, in his most stern Mamakoto tone), and it was worse today due to the hundreds of students wandering around, preparing stalls and events of bright colours in the (thankfully) clear and sunny weather.

“Oi, Haru,” came Rin’s voice, snapping Haru out of his reverie in time to witness Rin jogging towards him. He was grinning, and Haru found himself desperately trying to calm his racing heart and push down the blush threatening his cheeks.

He hadn’t seen Rin that week since his epiphany had hit him. He had… _feelings_ for Rin, and whilst he had accepted that, he wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to do with them. He had no experience with this. He’d been pretty sure he had no interest in relationships of any sort before he’d got to thinking about Rin and his body and what it’d feel like to run his _tongue_ down his _chest_ …

What almost made it worse was that, after a long period of reflection, Haru had come to the conclusion that Rin probably felt the same way, if the way he acted around Haru was any indication. Every so often Rin would say something, blush, and try to backtrack, stumbling over his words. He seemed to find it hard to look him in the eyes at these times too. The problem was, Haru had no way of knowing for sure. Which was so _frustrating_ , as he had no desire to confront Rin about it only to be laughed at. Of course, Rin would never do that, but even if he just blushed and turned him down, Haru knew their friendship, as well as their rivalry, would never be the same again. And what was to say that even if Rin did feel the same, they wouldn’t try it, watch it fail, and then have things never be the same because they were _exes_?

“Rin,” Haru greeted him as he stopped in front of him.

“You came,” Rin replied, and Haru had to bite back an _obviously_.

“I said I would,” he said instead, and Rin shrugged.

“I’m almost surprised you didn’t forget,” he teased and Haru made a _tsk_ ing noise.

“Whatever. What do I need to do?” he asked. Rin gestured to a building off to the right.

“Our clothes are in there. Most of us are already changed, so we may as well go get ready now,” he suggested, glancing down at his watch. “We have half an hour before the festival starts. Most of it’s set up already, so there won’t be much for us left to do before we open.”

They started walking in a silence that felt natural, athough maybe it just felt that way for Haru, as Rin definitely seemed on edge. Haru sighed as they ducked into the building.

“So what will I actually be doing?” he asked, and Rin grinned again, shark teeth on display.

“Well, for once in your life you’ll actually have to speak to people,” Rin answered, and Haru narrowed his eyes in response but said nothing as they entered a classroom. Evidently it was the café room, as tables were spread across the floor, covered by table cloths with cutlery laid out. “It’s all just café stuff – taking orders, smiling, greeting, serving. Don’t worry, you won’t have to make anything, Sousuke’s in charge of that, and we don’t get the rude customers like you do at a real café, seeing as this is a school festival and, well, we’re a maid café.”

Haru felt a jolt of annoyance at Sousuke’s name, much as he usually did, and his irritation lingered through Rin handing him his butler uniform and pointing him to a changing room. Rin took the one next to him.

Said annoyance, magnified tenfold by the difficulty of putting on the uniform he’d been given, was, however, cut short as soon as he stepped out into the corridor to find Rin already dressed and waiting for him.

The clothes… really suited him. To say the least.

To say more would be to admit that Haru wanted nothing more than to push him back against the wall and devour him whole. His lips were looking especially appetising…

Haru fought down another blush and averted his gaze to the wall. Goddammit, how was he supposed to survive this day?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!! Feedback is appreciated!


End file.
